NRL Grand Final 2018 schedule

NRL Grand Final 2018 schedule

ONE of the closest NRL seasons on record will come to a conclusion tonight as what is expected to be a sellout crowd at ANZ Stadium witnesses the battle of the capital cities - the Sydney Roosters versus the Melbourne Storm.

It's been a huge grand final week particularly with Billy Slater's judiciary hearing and Cooper Cronk's fitness under the microscope.

Need to know when kick off is or when Gang of Youths hit the stage for pre-match entertainment? We've got you covered.

The Sydney five-piece had three songs in the 2017 Triple J Hottest 100 list.

Last year, the NRL had US rapper Macklemore play and the league trumpeted the return of homegrown talent when announcing Gang of Youths.

"After the success of last year's entertainment, we wanted to go back a slightly different genre - just a great Aussie rock show from one of the best young bands in the business," NRL Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Abdo said at the time.

"Gang of Youths are relevant, they're homegrown, they're contemporary, and they are renowned for producing one of the best live shows going around.

"This year's act will showcase the best in Australian music talent and youth culture, with one of a new breed of local artists making significant headway both here and overseas.

"The fact that they are rugby league fans is also a bonus."

The band members are fans of rugby league as frontman Dave Le'aupepe is a Rabbitohs supporter.